Install Thunderbird on Linux

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  • Creator: jensb
  • Comment: Flatpak installation guide was outdated, please see the official release announcement (last part of https://blog.thunderbird.net/2023/07/our-fastest-most-beautiful-release-ever-thunderbird-115-supernova-is-here/)
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This article explains how to download and install Thunderbird on a Linux.

This article only applies to Linux. For instructions to install Thunderbird on Mac, see Install Thunderbird on Mac.For instructions to install Thunderbird on Windows, see Install Thunderbird on Windows .

Installing from your distribution package manager (Recommended)

To install Thunderbird using your distribution package manager, please refer to your Linux distribution's documentation. This method is recommended because it ensures Thunderbird and all the required libraries are installed and configured optimally for your distribution.

However, there may be a delay between when your distribution provides a new version or update, and when an official new version or update is available at Thunderbird.net. Your distribution may also provide Thunderbird without the Thunderbird branding.

Install from Snap

To install Thunderbird from Snap:

  1. Install Snap on your computer
  2. Visit Snapcraft's Store page
  3. Click Install and follow the instructions.

Install from Flatpak

Since Thunderbird 115, an official Flatpak release is available, see the official announcement. Installing Thunderbird as Flatpak app is now officially recommended, if Flatpak is convenient for you. This ensures that you receive the latest security updates without delay, since some Linux distributions take quite some time to redistribute such updates. In order to install Thunderbird from Flatpak, please:

  1. Install Flathub (the official Flatpak app store) on your computer.
  2. Visit Thunderbird on Flathub.
  3. Click Install and follow the instructions. You can find more options in the dropdown menu next to that button, if necessary.

Installing Thunderbird manually (For advanced users)

  • Before you install Thunderbird, make sure that your computer has the required libraries installed. Missing libraries will cause Thunderbird to be inoperable.
  • To install Thunderbird with this method, you must be able to login as root or execute sudo commands.
  • This installation will have priority over the Thunderbird version installed through your package manager. To run the version installed with your package manager, you will need to execute the binary from a terminal. To do so in most distributions, open a terminal and type: /usr/bin/thunderbird.

1. Go to the Thunderbird's download page and click on the Free Download button.

2. Open a terminal and go to the folder where your download has been saved. For example:

cd ~/Downloads

3. Extract the contents of the downloaded file by typing:

tar xjf thunderbird-*.tar.bz2

4. Move the uncompressed Thunderbird folder to /opt:

mv thunderbird /opt

5. Create a symlink to the Thunderbird executable:

ln -s /opt/thunderbird/thunderbird /usr/local/bin/thunderbird

6. Download a copy of the desktop file:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mozilla/sumo-kb/main/installing-thunderbird-linux/thunderbird.desktop -P /usr/local/share/applications

Alternatively, if wget is not installed on your computer, go to the URL mentioned above, right-click on the page to open the contextual menu and select Save Page As. After you downloaded the file, move it to /usr/local/share/applications.

To verify that the installation was successful, click the menu button Fx89menuButton, click Help and select More Troubleshooting Information. In the Application Basics section of the Troubleshooting Information page, the value of Application Binary should be /opt/thunderbird/thunderbird-bin